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Our aims
The purpose of the Secondary Phase Committee (SPC) is to support GA members concerned with geography at key stages 3 and 4 and to represent their views and interests.
What we do
- Monitor the views, interests, concerns and issues facing secondary geography members of the GA. In addition, monitor the state of health of secondary geography as indicated by data on numbers and assessment evidence.
- Initiate ideas for engaging and challenging teaching and learning ideas in the secondary geography classroom.
- Disseminate these ideas through workshops at the annual GA Conference, the GA website and occasional articles and contributions to GA publications such as Teaching Geography.
- Represent the views, interests, concerns and issues facing secondary geography members of the GA at the GA Education Committee and to external bodies.
- Promote geography to teachers, pupils, schools and the wider community as a relevant and exciting subject.
We have led numerous sessions on a variety of themes at the GA Annual Conference and published articles in Teaching Geography on topics such as team teaching, Valuing Places, the geography of crime, using ICT to enrich geography, leading the geography department/self assessment and fieldwork. We have also represented the GA in the QCDA review of the key stage 3 curriculum and published several resources on the GA website.
Top tips
Every half term the GA’s secondary phase committee produces a Top tips publication to help you teach the secondary curriculum. You can view the Top tips document here.
Resources
Watch the GA Secondary Phase Committee (SPC) discussion on problems subject leaders and head teachers are facing in geography leadership in their school.
Part 1
- How can I best manage non-specialists in my department?
- How can we overcome the fieldwork hurdles and give our students great experiences?
- How can I ensure depth in a GCSE curriculum with so much breadth?
Part 2
- How can I tackle the perception of geography as a ‘second tier’ subject?
- How can I raise uptake in exam classes?
- How can I help my schools to recruit brilliant geographer(s)?
Part 3
- How much/ what do I assess in mock exams?
- What is the best way to run intervention? Is it worth it?
- What can we do about past papers missing Figures because of copyright?
- What is the role of GIS in assessment?
- How can we best prepare students for questions with multiple ‘strands’?
- What should a KS3 summative assessment look like?
Part 4
- How can we weave fieldwork throughout the curriculum?
- How do we fit fieldwork into an already busy curriculum?
- Where can I access great fieldwork CPD?
- How do we find time to plan good experiences?
- How can we reduce costs of fieldwork?
Part 5
- What is GIS?
- How can we teach it without access to a computer room/ laptops?
- How can I switch on other team members to GIS?
- How can I avoid a “checklist of actions” lesson where the Geography gets lost?
- Where can I find great GIS CPD?
Part 6
- How can I navigate a specification change?
- How can I review the impact of the last academic year?
- What can I do to best prepare my team for September?
- How can I make the most of fieldwork in HT6?
- What should go onto my long term/ pace plan?
Last SPC Meeting (Oct 2024): Main actions at a glance
- Two Conference 2025 Workshops were submitted by SPC members.
- SPC members will contribute to the next two GA TeachMeets.
- Next meeting will see a recording of a panel discussion on Department Leadership by SPC and be available free thereafter.
- SPC will contribute to the new e-newsletter for secondary geography in 2025.
Secondary Phase Committee members
- Stephen Schwab (co-chair)
- Rachel Kay (co-chair)
- Paul Hunt
- Steph Cottle
- Tanith Ludlam
- Emma Johns
- Kathryn Stephenson
- Phil Humphries
- Iram Sammar
- Sara-Anne Nichols
- Ben Newborn
Get involved
The Secondary Phase Committee would like to hear from GA members who might be interested in joining the committee. Contact Stephen Schwab to find out more.
